Fair Game
by Eowyn77
Summary: Edward got more experience resisting physical temptation while living in Alaska than Bella could ever imagine or would want to know. Written before the release of Eclipse, but otherwise true to canon.
1. First Impressions

We were on the hunt or we might not have noticed it at all. I paused, Carlisle and Esme stopping a few yards behind me. "Do you smell it?" I asked them.

"Yes." Carlisle circled the small clearing, zeroing in on a patch of ground. As he drew near, I noticed the earth there had been freshly disturbed, though whoever had dug it up tried to cover their tracks.

"They still smell warm. A fresh kill," Esme said softly, "drained of blood."

_But they're caribou!_ Carlisle looked up at me. "Edward, are any of our family nearby? Perhaps they strayed to the west while hunting."

Esme and Carlisle cleared their minds, allowing me to listen more closely. I heard a small group of hikers two or three miles to the south, but none of my brothers and sisters. On the very edge of my hearing, I caught one faint thought. _Now on to sweeter prey!_

"There is another vampire, further to the west. It's not a mind I recognize."

Carlisle's eyes turned westward. "How far?"

"It's difficult to tell, maybe eight miles. No more than ten. I could barely hear her."

"Her?" Esme did her best, but I caught the hopes that suddenly darted through her mind. When would she figure out I was simply happier without a mate? "Another 'vegetarian' vampire?"

"So it would appear." Carlisle looked at us indecisively. "Would you two prefer to hunt? I think I'll go meet our neighbor."

"You'd find her faster if I came along," I pointed out. There were more than half a dozen caribou in that pit, more than even a desperately thirsty vampire would need. Whoever this female was, she didn't hunt alone. I didn't want Carlisle waltzing off by himself to meet another coven. They may have hunted caribou this time, but that didn't mean they were necessarily nice. We'd avoided trouble with other vampires for a long time, mostly because we were such a large family.

"Yes, I'd like to meet this female too." Esme didn't even bother trying to hide her thoughts this time. I gave her an annoyed look. She shrugged. _Alice and Jasper were a delightful surprise. Perhaps this female will be too._

"Are you certain?" Carlisle asked us.

"Yes." Esme used her firm mother's voice, the one that brooked no argument.

"Very well. Edward?"

I led the way west, listening carefully as I ran through the Alaskan wilderness. We'd been here for more than a year and I was completely in love with the rugged terrain, the deep forest, the crisp air. Even better than all this was the solitude. I could actually run far enough to be alone with my own thoughts.

We were drawing near a larger group of minds, maybe a village or an unusually large camping expedition. I sifted through the voices, slowing my steps until I knew where we needed to go.

_I'll never get that project finished in time._

Mom, I don't want to go to bed!

There just isn't enough money this month.

But there's no challenge to hunting in DC! 

It was the vampire voice we were looking for. I led the way toward a two-story house set to the north of the village, deep in the trees.

_Oh, you can find a virtuous man in DC._ This was a different mind, but still female.

"They're talking about hunting," I whispered to Carlisle and Esme. "In Washington D.C., I think."

_Yes, but you have to go through a good dozen a night to find even one with any kind of staying power. I think we'll have better luck in the Midwest._

We were close enough to overhear their conversation now.

"Since when are hayseeds more of a challenge than our virtuous elected representatives?" a third voice said.

"There are a lot more Hispanics in the Midwest now. Good Catholic boys. They always present a delicious challenge." The explicit images that went through her head would have made me blush if I were still human.

Esme looked up at me. _What on earth are they talking about?_

I was _not_ going to tell my mother what I'd just seen. "They don't hunt to kill. They hunt to... seduce."

Esme huffed. _Then they're definitely NOT your type of girls._

"You want good Catholic boys, then go to a monastery," a male voice said dismissively. "You females fret over this far too much. They all crack sooner or later. Aro and Caius weren't much of a surprise, but even Marcus couldn't resist for more than a few months."

Carlisle's jaw dropped.

"They hunt male _vampires _too?" Esme hissed. "No wonder Alice was against us coming here."

"Oh, it was a surprise to Aro," the fourth female voice purred, "let me assure you."

Carlisle put a hand over his eyes. _I can't believe I'm hearing this._

"I can't believe I'm _seeing_ this!" I hissed. Carlisle gave me a weak, sympathetic smile.

"Are we going to introduce ourselves or not?" Esme whispered. For the first time in the eight decades I'd known her, Esme was spoiling for a fight.

"They'll find out about us sooner or later." Carlisle hesitated, undecided. "Frankly, I'm amazed we haven't stumbled across each other before now. And we don't want to give offense by hunting game in what they perceive as their territory." _And they're like us! All these centuries, not a single vampire who would refrain from human blood, and here's an entire household!_

"Right." Esme looped her arm possessively through Carlisle's and marched — _marched_ — toward the house. "First impressions are lasting impressions."

I had a bad feeling about this.

Esme rapped firmly on the door, and my breath caught when it opened. The elegant female who stood there would rival Rosalie for beauty. Her black hair fell in soft curls to her shoulder, and her eyes were golden.

"Visitors!" Her face lit up with delight. "Do come in!" _Two males and one female. Lucky girl._

"Welcome!" said another female — small and slender with just a hint of auburn in her brown hair. She lounged on the couch, leaning against a rather sturdy-looking male. They both had a Latin look about them. Even though the female was in such a casual pose, the word that came to mind was sultry. _That female has a tight grip on her mate. Just when things were looking boring, we find some fun in our own front room._

Another dark-haired female sat cross-legged on the floor, her rounded cheekbones giving her a very young look. She rested her elbows on the coffee table, an open atlas in front of her. _Their eyes! _"Do you abstain too?"

Esme's reaction to the word 'abstain' wasn't coherent enough for words, but I had never imagined her so disposed toward violence.

"Yes," Carlisle said, diplomatically ignoring Esme. "We do not drink human blood. In fact, that is how we found you. We were hunting game this evening and came across your kill to the east of here. We were... intrigued."

"As are we," said another female, her sharp features more proud than fierce. She stood straight and tall, her flowing black hair falling past her waist.

Lady Godiva.

"I am Tanya. These are my sisters — Irina, Kate, and Carmen — and Carmen's mate Eleazar. And you are?"

_Delicious._

Mine.

A challenge.

Trouble. That last was from Eleazar.

"I am Carlisle, and this is Esme and Edward."

"We've never met another coven who abstained. Where do you hail from?"

"We moved here from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan about a year ago. I have a position at the hospital."

"At the hospital?" Carmen, Eleazar's mate, was incredulous. "What do you do there?"

"I am a physician in the emergency room."

_A creature of unsurpassed willpower._ Tanya eyed him speculatively. "I am in awe."

Carlisle smiled and shrugged. "It's a good living."

"And he has many to provide for." Esme carefully kept the satisfaction out of her voice. "There are four more in our family." _Don't even think about trying anything. We outnumber you!_

"Really?" Kate, the fresh-faced female, asked brightly. "We'd love to meet them!"

"And I'm sure they would love to meet you," Carlisle answered carefully. "But the reason we barged in on you today was to discuss hunting ranges."

"We would never dream of infringing on your territory." Esme's double meaning was clear, and Tanya picked up on it at once.

"Oh, we share and share alike around here. Hunt whatever you desire." _And I shall do the same, my little Bantam hen._

Bantam hen? Bantam hen!

Esme didn't hear the insult, but she may as well have. I stepped forward before she could speak the rude things forming in her mind. "We appreciate your generosity. We shall hunt then without fear of giving offense. Good evening to you all."

Carlisle looped his arm through Esme's and quickly led her from the house.


	2. Backfire

The flip side of passionate love is passionate jealousy. Esme was in such turmoil after we left that I decided to hunt alone. It was disconcerting to see all the aggression she was contemplating. I mean, this was _Esme_! But the biggest reason I left them was that I knew these two far too well. There was only one way Carlisle could calm her down and reassure her that _he_ would never fall prey to Tanya's clan, and I didn't want to be within ten miles of that.

I almost growled in frustration. How would it be to stand next to someone and _not_ have a streaming commentary on the world around me? Sometimes my 'gift' felt more like a curse.

Naturally, I beat them home.

Alice was waiting on the front sidewalk for me, tapping her foot impatiently. "I can't believe you invited them over!"

A bemused Jasper sat on the porch step.

"I didn't invite them. Carlisle did."

"You saw their thoughts, you _knew_ what would happen, and you let Carlisle say that?"

I felt as bewildered as Jasper looked. Alice had expected me to stop Carlisle? "They're game-hunters. Like us. You know as well as I do how rare that is. Why not invite them over?"

Alice's voice was shrill. "Why not? WHY NOT? Edward, I never in my wildest dreams imagined you this dense! Why do you think I've been opposed to this move from day one?"

Now it was my turn to get angry. "You saw something bad happening and YOU DIDN'T TELL US?"

"Oh, I thought about telling you, but the second I decided to, I saw how much quicker it'd all happen. Staying silent was our best chance. And now you and Carlisle go and ruin it!" She was breathing quickly, her face twisting under tears that could not fall. _All of you will succumb, Edward — even Carlisle! ALL of you!_

Turning on her heel, she dashed up into the house, slamming the front door so hard the glass cracked. _I'm going to lose Jasper! I saw him in her arms! _

"So," Jasper asked conversationally, "how was _your_ day?"

And I thought _my_ gift could be a curse! Looking at Jasper, I shrugged. "Met a coven of nymphomaniac 'vegetarians.' Saw Esme plan a dozen different ways to slaughter them. Oh, and Carlisle invited them to dinner — metaphorically — for which, apparently, I am to blame."

"So that's why Alice's feelings have been ping-ponging between outright fury and agonizing fear all day?" _It's been dizzying._

"So it would seem." I shook my head. "Women!"

Jasper gave me a wry grin. _Which is why you don't have one, my friend._ "So what exactly did Alice see?"

She hadn't said aloud that all us males would crack, so I didn't say it either. "She's afraid these females will disturb the idyll that is the Cullen household."

That brought Jasper up sharp. He looked at the bedroom window he shared with Alice. "I'd better go talk to her."

But before he could move, we heard a sound that made my hair stand on end.

"EDWARD!" Rosalie came roaring down the stairs. "EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN!" She paused to stare at the cracked pane in the front door, then scowled again as she stormed toward me. "What have you done to Alice?"

I gave her an icy glare. I'd had enough with wild women for one day. "I didn't do a thing."

Jasper slipped past her and into the house.

"Then tell me why she's sobbing hysterically in her bedroom!"

Tenacious Rosalie wasn't going to give up on this one. I sighed. "Because she saw something that frightened her."

Rosalie grimaced. "She sees frightening things on a daily basis. I tried to talk to her, but she couldn't even speak, she's that upset." Her eyes narrowed. "For pity's sake, what did she see?"

Dare I tell her? If Alice was that inconsolable, the truth would come out soon anyway. "Carlisle, Esme, and I met a coven on the west side of the mountain today. Four females and a male. They have the same diet we do."

"_That_ has Alice in hysterics?"

"The females get their thrills from seducing men."

I had to give her credit, there was some intelligence buried under all that vanity. Surprise faded to horror as she whispered, "She saw them seduce Jasper?"

I didn't want to tell her, but if everyone thought Jasper was the weak one, in this as well as in bloodlust, it would be a hurtful lie. "Not just Jasper."

She read true my hesitation and, faster than human sight, Rosalie bolted in to the house. "EMMETT!" _I'm going to kill him! _

"Ow! Rose, stop it! Hey! What? Ow!"

I ambled in to the house to see Emmett — strong, tough, built-for-battle Emmett — running from Rosalie.

"Cool it, Rose! Ow!" Emmett caught Rosalie's wrists in his huge hands. "I mean it!"

Rosalie kicked at his shins. "This isn't the half of what you'll get if Alice's vision comes true!"

Emmett drew himself up to his full height and loomed over Rosalie. "I'm getting skinned for something I haven't done yet?"

"No, you're getting warned!"

I ambled back outside and sat on the porch swing. Yes. _Definitely_ happier without a mate.

Carlisle and Esme returned about an hour later, a peaceful smile on Esme's face. I felt horrible about what they were blithely walking into. "Just so you know, there's been something of a to-do here."

"Oh?" Carlisle asked. _Tell me it's not about Tanya's coven._

"Alice has been sobbing and Rosalie has been beating up Emmett."

Carlisle sighed deeply. _I was afraid the panic would spread._

Esme looked at me with horror in her eyes. "Alice saw Emmett and Jasper being unfaithful?"

I met Carlisle's gaze and hesitantly said, "Yeah."

Esme gasped in dismay. "You too?"

I couldn't do it to her, not when she'd just found some peace. I couldn't tell her what Alice had foreseen for Carlisle, so I hung my head in shame. "Yes. Me too."

She stood beside the swing and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "We'll move, Edward." _I'll keep you safe._

I almost laughed. It's not like I was five. I was a man and could take care of myself, or so I thought until I remembered Alice's grief-stricken face.

"Esme, that's really not necessary."

She whirled. "Yes, Carlisle, it is."

"But they _refrain_! I've spent centuries looking for vampires like them..."

It was the wrong thing to say.

"And you've finally found your heart's desire, have you?"

Carlisle visibly back-pedaled. "I didn't mean it like that, Esme."

"Then how _did_ you mean it?"

He sighed, eyes casting about as he desperately tried to find the right words. In the silence, Alice's sobs filtered down to us from her room.

"They are home-wreckers, Carlisle. Look what they've already done to our family!"

Carlisle was a bit miffed. _Only because you're all overreacting!_ I shook my head and he bit back the words. Instead, he took Esme's hands in his own. "They haven't done anything to our family. We've done it to ourselves."

"But Alice saw..."

"There is always a choice, Esme."

It was our creed — our unifying, saving truth — and Esme could no more argue against it than she could hunt at a nursery school.

She slowly nodded, then her eyes hardened. "And I _choose_ to not let my family fall apart. I'll give you and this new coven one month. If Alice is still seeing... that... after a month's time, then we're leaving. Agreed?" Her firm voice belied her inner turmoil. _Please, Carlisle... _

Carlisle searched her eyes. _She left Charles for her unborn child's sake... _

_...please agree._ Esme was almost desperate.

_What would she do to save all these children who are also her friends? _

Esme's breath quickened in fear. _Don't call my bluff._

Carlisle sighed. "Agreed. If we cannot find a way to live peaceably with each other in one month's time, then we'll _all_ move." _And I'll be glad to, after a month of this!_


	3. Cease Fire

I spent most of the night playing my piano, hiding from my family's thoughts. A constant tirade ran through Rosalie's mind as she watched Emmett with suspicious eyes. Every now and then, when she thought his mind might be wandering, she'd whack him over the head.

Emmett was Emmett, unruffled by Alice's prediction. Rosalie's reaction annoyed more than upset him. He knew he'd stay faithful, so what was all the fuss about? However, he did think the idea of me with Tanya's clan was hysterical.

Alice still refused to face the world, and Jasper sat on the floor outside their bedroom door, feeling utterly helpless.

After Carlisle left for work that evening, Esme came to sit beside me on the piano bench. I was reminded of the Peanuts cartoon where Lucy is sitting at a table with a sign saying "Psychiatric Help 5 cents." I might as well hang one of those on the piano. Since I was the only one with whom my family could have a private conversation, they had come to see me as their unofficial psychologist.

Even in her thoughts, Esme was hesitant. _Edward, while we were at Tanya's house... did you hear anything out of the ordinary?_

She was joking, right? I smiled wryly and raised one eyebrow.

She returned my smile. _Allow me to rephrase._ Her brow knit in worry again. _Did you hear anything that would indicate unusual... talents in Tanya's family?_

Why didn't I think of it before? I poured over the memory again, but even though I could recall everything every person in the room had thought, I couldn't recall anything that would indicate noteworthy talent.

I shook my head no, then added, "That doesn't mean you're wrong."

Why else would any of the others leave their wives? Why else would _I_ give these females a second thought? "I think there's a good chance you're right." But until I had another chance to eavesdrop on Tanya's coven, there wasn't much we could do about it.

The next morning, we all went to school as usual, except Alice. She didn't even speak when Esme tried to talk to her. School was school, a mind-numbing charade so bizarre as to be laughable. Here we were — wolves in sheep's clothing — pretending to be the ignorant children of our natural prey. Last night's events and the ensuing drama only heightened the irony.

After school, I talked Jasper into going for a run with me. We both needed to escape that house. We raced at first, enjoying the competition and speed, but Jasper knew I'd outrun him eventually. We slowed to a walk and he blurted aloud what he'd been thinking all day. "What do I need to do? She won't listen to anything I say."

"She's your wife, and you're asking me?"

"Yeah, well, you're the mind reader. All I can tell is she's absolutely torn up about this. She's had to have thought about what she wants, the thing that will comfort her."

"Actually, she hasn't. She isn't looking for this to be resolved at all. All she does, day and night, is watch the same scene over and over again — you leaving her."

_Wait! What?_ "Leaving her?"

"Yes."

"Not me..." _sleeping with one of those females?_

I grimaced. "Thankfully, no."

Jasper was suddenly eager, his salvation in sight. "What exactly is the vision?"

"That's not fair, you know."

His hands balled up in frustration. "There is nothing about this entire situation that's fair!"

He had a point. "Alright, then. You're coming out of the forest by the house, and she's just watching you. Then you see her there, and this consuming guilt is in your eyes. You're speaking, but I can't hear the words. She doubles over onto the ground, and you walk past her into the house. A few minutes later, you return, a backpack over your shoulder. You pull her to her feet, kiss her on the brow, and then disappear into the forest."

He mulled it over as we walked. _Maybe it wasn't the females after all. Maybe I faltered._

"No. Your eyes were still golden. You'd just been hunting, and it was obviously game."

_If it causes her such pain, why would she focus on that moment so much?_ And then it dawned on him. _She's watching for it to change! And it isn't._ Then another realization overwhelmed him. _She saw one of these females seduce me, and she still wants me. It's not my infidelity she fears, it's my leaving._

The knowledge literally floored him, and he sank to the ground. _What do I do?_ He sat cross-legged, his head in his hands.

Simple. "Don't leave."

_But if I were unfaithful, Alice's vision is true. I would have to leave after hurting her like that. I wouldn't be worthy of her love._ Then he looked up at me, determination in his eyes. "You're right. I won't leave." _I won't leave her side again, no matter what happens, not while we're within a day's journey of those females. I can't hurt her like that!_

Leaping to his feet, Jasper smiled for the first time in days. "Let's go home!"

We hadn't made it half-way back before Alice barreled into him out of the blue, laughing and holding him tightly and kissing him. Jasper answered her kisses, sinking to the ground again.

It was obvious where this was going. "I'll see you two back at the house." They didn't bother to answer, even in their thoughts. I ran away as fast as I could.

At the house, everyone else was waiting on the back porch. I'd been blocking my talent to keep Alice and Jasper out of my head, but even so, I could hear the thoughts of the rest of the family from more than a mile away.

Carlisle was the most hopeful. _Emmett's wrong. Alice didn't crack — she was happy. I saw her face. Something has changed and all Esme's fretting was needless. We'll be able to stay and become friends with Tanya's coven._

True to form, Esme worried. _Carlisle doesn't understand the way a woman's psyche works. Alice can't just go from agony to overwhelming joy. Even if she saw something change, she and Jasper will have to work hard to repair their relationship._

Emmett was actually amused. _I always wondered how long it would take her crack. Maybe Rosalie will see how crazy the VISION was too and stop whacking me — or at least, start whacking me in a way I like._

_Just because Alice saw something good for her and Jasper doesn't mean that Emmett will stay true. Esme and Carlisle are both thrilled and don't even see that I'm still hurting! _For once, I agreed with Rosalie's self-centered assessment. Alice and Jasper were the only guaranteed couple at this point.

"So?" Emmett boomed as I emerged from the trees. "What's going on?"

I drew near enough that I wouldn't have to yell. "Alice and Jasper are back together."

"What changed?" Rosalie asked, poorly hiding her hope.

"I don't know." I grimaced. "Their lips were too busy to talk."

Esme laughed happily at that. "I guess we'll just have to wait a bit, then. But I'm very relieved." _For them._

"I do know Jasper decided he would stay within sight of Alice indefinitely, shopping trips and all."

"Now that's love," Emmett muttered.

When Alice and Jasper breezed in _two days_ later, Esme and Rosalie accosted Alice before she could make it across the yard. "What changed?" 

I sat on the porch with Emmett and Carlisle as they awaited their doom.

Alice squeezed Jasper's hand in farewell, then stepped into a close huddle with the other two. They spoke in low voices, but that didn't stop me from hearing. The news wasn't good. When Jasper decided he would not leave Alice's sight, she no longer saw him leaving or even being unfaithful. But she still saw Carlisle, Emmett, and me falling prey.

This was the first time Esme had heard that Carlisle — the most compassionate, self-controlled vampire in existence — would cheat on his wife. She gave us a wooden look, then turned and walked away from the house. _I'll walk until I'm encased in ice and there I shall sit for the rest of eternity._

I nudged Carlisle. "You'd better go after her."

Emmett gave me a worried glance. "And Rosalie?"

Jasper gave him a toothy grin. "... is loaded for bear."

Emmett swore softly and stood, watching Rosalie warily. My sister looked from Esme to Emmett, then tossed her hair over her shoulder and followed Esme into the forest.

Emmett took a deep breath, then darted after Rosalie.

Yes. Definitely happier without a mate.

Rosalie and Esme eventually came home, but only after extracting similar promises from Emmett and Carlisle. Now Alice's visions showed Carlisle and Emmett remaining faithful too, although the visions were still images and not in motion — likely but not certain. No one asked whether these females would get to me still, but Alice's sympathetic look gave me away. I was still fated to fall.


	4. Gift Exchange

Another week passed, and our lives returned to normal, other than the husbands staying permanently by their wives sides. No one hunted toward the west.

Emmett and I were playing a car-racing game on our new Gamecube — shipped from Japan ahead of the US release date — and I was beating him for the third time. Of course, my winning streak might be attributed to the fact that Rosalie was sitting on the back of the couch behind Emmett, running her fingers through his hair.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Emmett yelled at the TV.

I grinned as I pulled another car-length ahead of him. "You know, a Lamborghini handles much better than this in real life."

"I know," he growled. "I'd be beating you otherwise."

Rosalie wrapped her arms around Emmett's neck. "Well if you asked _really_ nicely, Emmett, I just might program a game that would actually challenge you."

He tensed and the controller disintegrated in his hands. Rosalie chuckled as Emmett threw the pieces down in disgust. "Only if you make the paddles out of something tougher than plastic!"

I laughed. "I win!" Self-control was as much a part of video games for us as any other skill.

"Rematch?" Emmett asked hopefully, opening the drawer on the entertainment center where we kept a a stash of controllers. In a bad week, we went through more than a dozen. His shoulders sagged. "That was the last one!"

I stood up and casually stretched. "There's another shipment on the way."

"Well what do you want to do in the meantime?"

"I was going to work on my latest composition." The Alaskan wilderness was a constant source of inspiration.

Emmett was annoyed. "What about me?"

"I guess you get to give Rosalie the specs for her game."

She gave me a wicked grin. "He hasn't asked _really nicely_ yet."

I rolled my eyes. Time for another run.

_Eleazar had better be right._

Are you sure this is worth it, Tanya?

You saw them. You tell me.

Besides, we haven't had a challenge like this in ages!

"Trouble." When I heard their minds, I almost bolted, but I decided my first loyalty was to my family. They might need an unencumbered male to come to their rescue.

"What kind?" Emmett growled eagerly.

"Carlisle?" I called softly.

Emmett's hands flexed in anticipation. After losing all those Gamecube games, he was ready for a tussle. Carlisle flew into the living room, Esme at his side. "What's wrong, Edward?"

"Tanya's coven. They're practically here. I didn't realize because I was focused on the game."

Carlisle took a deep breath, meeting my gaze. _We could leave, but that won't resolve anything._ He looked then at Esme. _And maybe she'll finally believe me._ "Where are Alice and Jasper?"

"They're still out hunting," Rosalie answered. _Why didn't she warn us? Maybe that's why she's conveniently away on a hunt now. She didn't want to deal with this, or put Jasper in harm's way._

I gave Rosalie a disgusted look. "I'm sure their decision to come here was made after Alice left."

Rosalie glared at me.

In my mind, I could hear Tanya's coven drawing nearer, but all I could hear with my ears was a growling sound. Surely it wasn't one of them making that racket! I moved to answer to the door.

Tanya stood at the head of her clan, regal as before. Behind her, the other four were carrying a snarling bear between them. She smiled up at me, taking in my shock with amusement. "Is the lady of the house available?"

"Umm..." I looked over my shoulder. "Esme?"

She walked out onto the porch, her eyebrows arching in surprise.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen. We've brought you something of a belated house-warming gift."

"In lieu of cookies," Irina chimed.

Kate winked at me. "We come bearing gifts."

I groaned at the pun.

"Oh." Esme was stunned — and flattered. "Thank you." She turned to Emmett and me. "Why don't you boys stow that bear out back. We'll save him for later."

_Stow a bear?_ Emmett gave me a look that clearly questioned our mother's sanity. _What are we supposed to do, tie it to a tree?_

I shrugged and went to take the bear's forepaws from Kate and Irina, ignoring him when he snapped at me. What game was Tanya playing at? She was obviously trying to throw Esme off-balance, but to what purpose? And what talents were they concealing? All the females were thinking rather licentious things about the men in my family, so they were no help. Maybe Eleazar would reveal something.

Esme held the door open for Tanya. "Please, do come in."

Emmett looked at me hopefully, taking the back end of the bear from Carmen and Eleazar. _Hey Edward, do you think we could just eat it?_

Eleazar shook Carlisle's hand as he entered the house. _Compassionate and utterly selfless. Amazing!_

I narrowed my eyes at Emmett. He was distracting me. The stupid bear was distracting me. I needed to focus! "It doesn't belong to us."

_Aw, come on! She wouldn't mind!_

I ignored him. "Carlisle? Do you have any sedatives on hand?"

"Yes." _That's not a bad idea, with Tanya here, but they wouldn't be effective on Esme, you know that._

I looked meaningfully at the bear.

_Oh. Of course. _"In my emergency bag in the office." _Your guess is as good as mine on the dosage._

We hauled the bear around back while Rosalie dashed up the stairs to the office. This was going to be imprecise at best, but a sedative was better than putting a grizzly in our back yard and telling it to stay.

Rosalie was fuming as she came down the stairs. _Not out of my sight again, not for half a second. Not with those females sitting in our living room._

I injected the irritable bear with four times the dose for a human and ended up giving it another three doses. Emmett was disappointed that we would have to wait to feed, until Rosalie pointed out that the bear would be ready to kill somebody when it came to. That perked him up considerably.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, let's go inside."

I knew we'd be short on seating, so Emmett and I grabbed three chairs from the kitchen before joining the others in the living room. Carlisle and Esme sat together on the love seat facing the others, and I couldn't help but feel that there was a battle-line drawn just a few inches beyond Esme's feet. Tanya sat on the arm rest, with Kate, Carmen and Eleazar sitting beside her on the couch. Irina leaned against the wall beside them. 

Carlisle was talking about how our family came to be, so I tuned him out. It was more important for me to learn about our guests.

Kate glanced at us when we came in, her gaze settling on Emmett and Rosalie. _Ooo! Irina's met her match in this female!_

Eleazar's thoughts were rather unusual for a male who was checking out Rosalie. _She's sharp and shrewd. And she'll kill whoever makes a move for her mate. But she's proud of her looks and her smarts, so that could be exploited. This is going to be much more complicated than the girls thought._

Eleazar tried for a moment to subtly catch Emmett's attention, but Emmett was wisely keeping his eyes on the floor and his arm around Rosalie. He wasn't taking any chances.

Eleazar mentally shrugged. _He'll look this way eventually and then I'll decide._

So Eleazar, at least, was gifted, but I couldn't tell how exactly. His gift operated outside the mind, like Jasper's somehow. When Jasper was reading someone's emotions, I didn't experience it firsthand like I did Alice's visions. I could only hear him processing what he perceived. Eleazar's gift was similar. I had a sense that gears were turning somewhere, and what I was hearing was him processing what his talent was telling him.

Eleazar met and held my gaze then. His mind was silent for a moment. _Arrogant. Unattached and whole in and of himself. Interesting. I can't remember the last time I saw that. The girls can't take hunting this one lightly. _

Whatever his gift, Eleazar's accuracy was frightening — with one exception. I wasn't arrogant. My high opinion of my abilities was well-founded. But why didn't he 'read' me when we first met?

Carlisle introduced us as we sat down. "You've already met Edward. This is Rosalie, and her husband Emmett. And these are Tanya, Kate, Carmen, Eleazar, and Irina."

Tanya addressed Esme. "I recall you mentioning that there are seven in your family, Mrs. Cullen. Will we get to meet the other two?"

Esme smiled graciously. _So long as they respect that title 'Mrs.' and everything it entails, then we'll get along just fine._ "Alice and Jasper are out hunting at the moment."

"But I imagine they'll be joining us shortly," I added.

Rosalie eyes were hard. _They had better be!_

"So, tell us a little more about you and your family, Tanya," Esme said. Her smile was bright, but there was a shrewdness there too. _Let's see what they have to say for themselves._

Tanya spoke carefully. "Irina, Kate, and I were born in Slovakia a thousand years ago, more or less. The same vampire changed all three of us, but we were... not fond of him. We eventually parted ways, hunting through most of Europe until a rather unfortunate incident sent us to our homeland again for a time. It was there we discovered we could live without killing men. There were many large predators in that corner of the world — bears, wolves, tigers — and we experimented with living off of them. We gradually grew experienced enough to regularly abstain. At that point, we worked our way back toward Europe. In the middle of the seventeenth century, we came across Carmen and Eleazar, who embraced our peculiar lifestyle."

"It's been more than two hundred years since any of us have tasted human blood," Kate declared proudly.

"And until now," Irina added, "we have walked alone in the human world."

"If you don't mind my asking," Carlisle said hesitantly, "how do you manage financially in the human world? Do you all have vocations?"

Tanya grew very still. _He would have to ask that!_ "Our original nest-egg came from our pillaging days, and we invested it wisely."

Irina grinned wickedly. "You're too humble, Tanya. In the last century or so, she's made a good living writing novels."

Esme blinked in surprise. "Novels?"

"Romance novels," Carmen explained, relishing each word.

Irina smirked. "Really _trashy_ ones."

Tanya looked thoroughly embarrassed. "Well, a best-seller would be disastrous for us, now wouldn't it? Book signings, public appearances, pictures on dust-covers. Hardly low profile. We've all taken turns publishing under various pen names, except Eleazar of course."

"Don't worry," Kate consoled, laughter in her eyes. "We're just jealous of your resounding success."

Esme huffed a little. _Still no mention of the fact that those romance novels come from personal experience._

Carlisle told Tanya's coven about his own change and some of his adventures both before and after coming to the New World. He hadn't gotten past the Civil War when Alice and Jasper quietly entered. Seeing every seat taken, Jasper ducked into the kitchen for another chair.

Eleazar took them in with an appraising glance. I ignored Carlisle's introductions, focusing on Eleazar's thoughts. _I can't do it. I won't. It'll break these males to be hunted, and when the girls realize what they'd done, they'd never forgive themselves. These males are out of bounds, as far as I'm concerned._

Alice's breath suddenly caught, and a series of scenes-in-motion flashed through her mind. Rosalie and Kate hunting together. Irina and Alice shopping. Esme painting Tanya's portrait.

Everyone in the room watched Alice anxiously. When she blinked quickly and bestowed a serene smile on Tanya, there was a collective sigh of relief.

"Alice, are you well?" Tanya watched her closely.

"Oh yes." Alice settled comfortably onto Jasper's lap. "Quite well, thank you."

My entire family bombarded me with a single thought. _What changed?_ I tipped my head slightly toward Eleazar.

"It's just that..." Tanya continued, "you seemed to have something of an episode just now."

Alice was beaming. "It's just something that carried over from my human life, apparently."

Tanya smiled slyly at Alice. "You are not a commonplace person are you, even among our kind?"

She shrugged. "We all have our talents. I can see forward but not back."

"And a sublime riddler, I see." _I haven't been this vexed in centuries!_

The feeling was mutual. I grinned in spite of myself.

Alice knew exactly what she was doing. After a long moment, she smiled smugly. "I see possibilities, things that could eventually come to pass."

Tanya's eyes widened in surprise. "You see the future?"

"Future is too rigid a word," Alice said off-handedly. "Choices, sometimes even little ones, can unexpectedly and dramatically change things. For instance, I saw your family and mine as dear friends just now — all of us — when not long ago it was a very different future. It's not certain until it is the past, of course, but it's what I expect will happen. Other things, like weather or earthquakes, are easier to predict."

Tanya rocked back. "Astounding." _That trumps Kate and Eleazar put together! But I wonder what she meant by that. We'll be friends?_ She searched our faces one by one. "A physician and a psychic. What other gifts does your phenomenal family possess, Mrs. Cullen?" She met Esme's gaze again with a wry smile. "As if that weren't quite enough."

A smile twitched on Esme's lips. "Some gifts are more visible than others. Emmett and Rosalie, for instance," she nodded toward them with maternal pride, "have rather noticeable talents, whereas Jasper's and Edward's are more subtle."

Tanya's gaze whipped from Jasper to me. _Subtle? How? What does she mean?_ I'd bet anything that her rising panic was Jasper's contribution. Ah, sweet revenge.

Jasper grinned at me. "Why don't you go first, Edward." _How long do you think we can spin this out before she explodes?_

I chuckled but decided we'd better not provoke Tanya too much, especially when Eleazar had already decided to take pity on us. I didn't want him to change his mind. "By all means, you first."

"I have influence over people's emotions." Jasper grinned with satisfaction and Tanya's shoulders slumped in relief as Jasper released her.

She raised one of her perfect eyebrows. "Impressive. A fit mate for the remarkable Alice." _Imagine what he could do in a passionate moment!_

I almost laughed. "I'd rather you didn't."

Tanya shot me an wary look. "Pardon?"

"I'd rather you didn't imagine." Now it was my turn for a smug smile. Sometimes being a freak had its advantages. "I hear the thoughts of others."

Tanya gave me a sidelong look. "You jest." _It can't be! He and Aro sharing the same gift? Impossible!_

I shook my head. "No. Not very much like Aro from what I understand. Although I've never met him, so I can't say for certain how dissimilar our gifts might be."

Her jaw slowly dropped, and Kate burst out laughing. "All our innermost thoughts..." she giggled. "You hear them?"

I nodded.

"And our past?" Carmen asked, disbelief on her face.

"No. Just what you're thinking in the present moment."

Kate's eyes sparkled. _So Edward, I could sit here in front of your mother and tell you all the things I'd love to do to your delicious..._

I glowered at her. "As I said. I'd rather you didn't."

She winked. _Another time, then, sweetheart._

I ignored her. "But I noticed that at least one of your family is gifted as well, Tanya."

Eleazar hung his head with an embarrassed smile. _So you've been eavesdropping, Edward? This will take some getting used to, and not just for us. These girls are corrupting enough when you only hear the thoughts they say aloud!_

I snorted, and he finally met my gaze, thoroughly amused. "It took your mind-reading abilities to realize I'm gifted? The only male in _this_ coven couldn't survive without a talent or two. I should think that would be obvious." Then he looked to Carlisle. "When I was human, I was a merchant, one of the very best. A perfect salesman, you could say. I could tell by looking at a buyer exactly how to handle him. That skill carried over — I see the levers that move people." His eyes darted to Emmett. "Unfortunately, it requires eye contact."

"That," Esme said hesitantly, "could be a devastating talent."

He gave Carmen an apologetic smile."It has been, at times. But I like to think I've become a bit more judicious in when and where I use it." He met my gaze. _And I'll not use it at all with your family. You understand that, no? You heard before I knew what you could do?_

I nodded, shuddering at the thought of my family at the mercy of Eleazar's talent. "Thank you."


	5. Succubi

They left about an hour before dawn, and I retreated to my piano again. The women in my family began the week-long task of analyzing to death our neighborly chat with Tanya and company. It was distracting the way they turned over every minute detail in their minds, spinning out wild theories from things as simple as handshakes. Maybe Carlisle should have agreed to move when Esme first asked him.

On the other hand, Eleazar's parting words were worth some thought. He'd caught my eye as they left, thinking, _Edward, as one man to another, I warn you. The girls may not even realize it yet, but you are the odd man out. You are fair game. I'll not help them, but it's beyond even my talents to stop them. I wish you well, my friend._ I wasn't about to unleash Esme on that one.

In the meantime, however, Emmett had great fun playing with his food when the sedative finally wore off.

Tanya and her family came to visit fairly often, but Alice was the only woman comfortable with them around. For once, Esme and Rosalie didn't trust her visions.

During one such visit, Esme decided to corner Tanya on one of her more enigmatic comments. Rosalie and I were in the garage when our visitors arrived, so they all came out to see our car collection, including our current project — restoring a '65 Thunderbird for Alice.

Tanya ran her fingers lovingly over my Viper, and Esme seized her moment. "You mentioned a while back that you knew Aro."

Tanya cleared her throat and deliberately turned her back on my car. _Knew in the biblical sense._ "Yes. We spent some years with the Volturi." 

Rosalie was more to the point. "Did they play a part in that unfortunate incident you mentioned?"

Kate gave Rosalie a shrewd look. _Eleazar was right, as usual. She's much more sharp than we expected._ "You could say that, yes. They weren't too happy when word reached them of a new vampire legend."

Esme was on the edge of her seat. She and my sisters had debated this one for days. "And which legend is that?"

Carmen grinned, leaning casually against Jasper's Land Rover _This will be fun to watch._ "The legend of the succubi."

I choked. That certainly explained a few things.

Even Alice was stunned. "The succubi. As in..."

"Demon seductresses, yes," Tanya answered calmly. "Except at first, the humans thought the succubi were vampires, since men died more often than not. Hence the Volturi's involvement."

"But you're still alive," Rosalie protested. "How did you escape the Volturi?"

"We didn't," Kate said simply. "They held us captive for sixty years."

Esme looked at Tanya's family with surprise. "I was under the impression that the Volturi took no prisoners."

Eleazar eyed Esme. "Normally they don't. But Aro's not one to waste opportunities or talents. "

Tanya sighed, embarrassed. _I'm trusting you you with my life, Eleazar. You'd better be right._ Then to Esme, she said, "He'd seen our..." _how to put it delicately enough for her?_ "...unique hunting practices and thought of a good use for them."

Alice interrupted. "But I thought you were still hunting humans then."

"Oh, we were." Tanya answered. "But even then we tried to be..." _kind? generous?_ "...humane."

Esme was intrigued. "Humane how?"

Irina smirked at her. _She may as well come to grips with this, if we're going to be neighbors._ "Ever heard the expression 'What a way to go?'"

Tanya was a bit more dignified, though her eyes were hard. "It was a bit easier to kill a man knowing that his final hours were his happiest. We thought of it as a kind of payment."

"Or penance," Kate said softly.

"Yes, well," Tanya continued, "when Aro saw how successful we were in our hunting, he and Caius thought that, if we could break through to Marcus, he would be able to move forward through his grief. Marcus had lost his mate less than a century before and was in the depths of the blackest melancholy imaginable."

Tanya gave Esme an appraising look. _How in the world am I going to tell this story without sending her into a murderous rage? I'm going to strangle Eleazar when we get home._ "Since we hadn't actually exposed ourselves or other vampires, we hadn't broken the law in the strictest sense, but they were reluctant to just release us. It wasn't until the humans invented the incubi — those misogynistic men couldn't believe they would yield to demons unless women did too — that the Volturi were finally convinced the legend had become myth. Aro came to us with the terms of our release then."

She took a deep breath. "There were three of us, and three of them, so they challenged us to a duel of sorts. If we could seduce all three of them in less than one year's time, then we'd be free to go, provided we left Europe for another century. But we..." _By all that's holy, how do I say this?_

"It had to be a one-on-one encounter," Irina said, a belligerent edge to her voice. "And the Volturi females couldn't find out."

Esme's lips parted in shocked alarm.

_There's the lever for her!_ "We shouldn't be telling you this," Eleazar said suddenly, looking at Rosalie of all people with imploring eyes. "If the Volturi females ever find out, it will be our deaths."

Rosalie blinked twice. _Blackmail? Did they really just hand me blackmail on a silver platter?_ Then she nodded slowly.

Of course. Esme would never stoop to that, but Rosalie had no such compunctions. She _knew_ Emmett was safe now.

"So who had Marcus?" I asked. The question was vitally important to me, the odd man out.

"The most..." Kate winked at me, "persuasive of us." _And the most powerful._

"You?" Rosalie was incredulous.

It really did stretch the imagination, the idea of Kate as the most powerful succubus. I'd almost forgotten that she was talented too. "What's your gift, Kate?"

She looked uncertainly at Tanya, who nodded encouragment. Kate shrugged. "I guess the best description is I'm hypnotic, more or less. It requires my subject being in a line of sight, but I can... tinker with the mind, making a person or animal feel that he is paralyzed."

"Hypnogogia."

Kate gave me a teasing look. "Can you say that in mixed company?"

I grinned. "It's the medical term for what you do. Hypnogogia is a state somewhere between sleep and waking. There are all kinds of strange sensations humans feel in hypnogogia, the most common being sleep paralysis. Modern science explains away the succubi folklore by pointing to hypnogogia as the truth behind the legend."

_You're showing off, Edward,_ Esme scolded.

"That ought to please Aro." Tanya herself looked anything but pleased.

Irina was annoyed. _If they think SCIENCE can explain us away, then clearly we need to hunt more often._

"I take it you follow in your father's footsteps?" Kate asked sweetly.

"When high school becomes too maddening, yes. I've got a couple of medical degrees. But I'm not anywhere near practiced enough to actually work as a physician. I just pass along what I learn, so Carlisle can stay up to date. " I looked at her curiously. "But we don't sleep, so your gift must not work on vampires."

Tanya and Kate exchanged an amused look, then Kate glanced shyly at her feet. When she looked up, her coy smile belied the menace I felt coming from her. Panic filled me and I was frozen in place. "It musn't?" She slowly closed the distance between us. "Then I suppose I simply have no power over you, Edward." Her breath tickled my ear as she sighed. "Too bad. Otherwise I could really have some fun with you." With a wink, she turned her back — releasing me — and returned to leaning against Emmett's Ram 3500.

I drew a shaky breath and Kate giggled. "I guess it was just dumb luck with Marcus."


	6. Gambit

The first time Tanya called to invite me over, Esme insisted on coming with me. After Kate's little demonstration, Esme was certain I was in grave danger. In my entire existence, I'd never felt more like a little boy in knickers. At least she didn't have me hold her hand.

When Tanya opened the door for us, she embraced Esme with a delighted smile. "Mrs. Cullen! What a delightful surprise!" _Very thoughtful of you to bring her along, Edward. Very wise, too, having a skirt to hide behind._

I fought back a snarl.

Every time Tanya saw me, she greeted me in her thoughts but never spoke aloud. Esme was quite perturbed by this apparent snub until I explained Tanya's motive — she thrilled at having a private conversation in the middle of a crowded room. Luckily, our conversations mostly consisted of greetings.

_And how are you, my pet?_ Even her thoughts sounded seductive. _So good of you to come._

"Hello, Tanya," I stiffly answered.

"I'm glad you came along too, Mrs. Cullen." Tanya's use of 'Mrs.' had become something of an inside joke for these two. "You'd probably appreciate this more than anyone in your family." _No offense intended, Edward. You simply do not have your mother's discerning eye._

I ignored her.

Tanya unlocked a nearby cabinet and pulled out a leather-wrapped bundle. Laying it on a table, she gingerly peeled back the layers, revealing a polished wooden box. A chess set. The chessboard was intricately inlaid in four different colors of wood and the pieces Tanya placed on the table were hand-carved. Esme sighed with longing. "It's beautiful! This isn't a modern design at all." She looked to Tanya with wonder. "How old is it?"

"The board itself is a replica of the original, but the pieces were carved in 1495 AD. I bought the set after I heard that ridiculous Christopher Columbus fellow conquered the Ocean Sea." She smiled at me. _It was an act of rebellion. His discovery brought great philosphical and social turmoil. Chess is one of those enduring things. Old worlds die and new worlds are born, but chess is a constant._

"It's older than Carlisle!" Esme scrutinized the pieces. "The white pieces are ivory. Are the others walnut?"

"Rosewood." 

Esme reached for the white queen, then hesitated. "May I?"

Tany smiled sweetly. "Of course! That's why I invited Edward over today. I thought he might enjoy a game of chess."

"I don't play," I protested, "but Esme is quite good."

_And why would you — so thoughtful and intelligent — not play chess? Perhaps you don't find it challenging?_

I shrugged, and Esme looked at me curiously. _Are you two talking behind my back? That's rude, you know._

I laughed. "Unless you're chastizing someone?" Then to Tanya, "I'm not a cheater, but some games — like chess — make it difficult to remain honest."

_Indeed? Perhaps I'll find you a new game._ Then she turned to Esme. "Shall we play first? Then the winner can play Edward." _Don't wander too far, pet. I'll be playing you soon._ I got the impression she wasn't talking about chess.

Esme smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

_Edward, our library is just through that door. Why don't you explore it while you wait?_

I followed her directions into a room lined with bookshelves. Perusing their library was a very disconcerting experience. In one locked bookcase, there were what appeared to be early copies of everything from a Gutenberg New Testament to Copernicus' _On the Revolutions of the Celestial Bodies_, while on the shelf next to it, there were dozens of paperback romance novels.

I could hear the game progressing through Esme's and Tanya's thoughts. Esme was woefully outmatched, but that wasn't because she was a poor player. No one plays well against someone who has ten times more experience.

I looked over a few more of the unlocked books — Plato, Aristotle, Maimonides, Decartes, Marx, Hawking. That would be Tanya's shelf — she was the philosopher. Put her in a room with Jasper and Carlisle and they would debate for days.

And of course, the romance novels. I almost picked up Decartes, but curiousity got the better of me, and I chose _Her Lover's Arms_ instead. The prose was painful, and the characters were shallow, but I have to admit that the sex scenes were rather impressive.

Esme's laughter pulled me out of the book, and I realized with horror that I'd been caught. 

"What in the world are you reading?" she demanded.

Tanya gave me a knowing smile. _Did you enjoy it? The underwater scene was one of my personal favorites._ Then she turned to Esme. "That, Mrs. Cullen, is the book that paid for this house. I came dangerously close to being a publishing success with it. I had to change my pen name and everything."

I looked at the book in my hand. _This_ was almost a best-seller? Quickly returning it to the shelf, I turned to Esme and Tanya. "So, who do I get to play?"

Esme smiled warmly at me. _Bless your heart, Edward. Thank you for asking._ "Tanya, of course."

Tanya grinned like the cat that ate the canary as we took our seats. _I'll have you know, I haven't lost in almost a century. Thirty years ago, I finally retired my chessboard, certain that I'd never find a worthy opponent again. You've awoken great hope in me, Edward. By all means, use your talent._

I stared at her in disbelief. "Are you saying you _want_ to lose?"

Her eyes smoldered under lowered lashes. _No one wants to lose, pet. But everyone enjoys a challenge._ Her porcelain hand reached out over the board and she made her first move.

Tanya lost the next three games.

I was two moves from checkmate when she finally let slip why she was doing this. _They're counting on me to find a way around._

As much as she truly did enjoy the challenge, she was trying to find a way around my abilities. I was surprised she'd managed to hide her motives for this long, but I felt a flash of confidence. So long as I was winning the chess matches, I had nothing to worry about. "Check."

Tanya sighed, looking over her options. _This is much more difficult than I expected. It's been nine hundred years since I lost this much._ Then she smiled up at me. _You truly are a delicious challenge, Edward my pet._

Her promoted queen swooped in to capture my pawn, but my rook was still in position.

"Checkmate."

She sighed again, puckering her lips in frustration. _Perhaps a rematch tomorrow?_

I smirked at her. "Would you like some hints?"

_Not yet. The game has only just begun, and it promises to be most engaging. Tomorrow?_

"After school." I smiled at the irony — going from history class to a date with living history.

_Agreed._

I stood to leave, and Esme caught my eye. _Edward, would you eavesdrop on her for me?_ Then aloud, "So Tanya, about this 'share and share alike' deal..."

_Carlisle passionately kissing Tanya_ — the image flashed through her head. _Off limits!_ Tanya pushed the scene from her mind. Looking at Esme, she batted her eyelashes in mock surprise. "Why Mrs. Cullen, have you changed your mind?"

Esme laughed lightly. "He's _my_ Prince Charming, Tanya."

"Fear not! After a thousand years of looking," she sighed, placing the back of her hand to her forehead in mock despair, "I've resigned myself to the life of a spinster."

"Spinster! Really, Tanya!" Esme actually giggled at that. "I was wondering if that extended to houses. Would you consider a makeover for your living room?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea! Perhaps while your young ones are away at school, we could review some of your plans?"

I almost huffed. Young ones indeed!

"Perfect!" Esme returned Tanya's hug and we headed for home. As soon as we were out of earshot, Esme demanded, "Well?"

"I'm older than you, in one way at least. Young ones!" I scoffed.

She laughed. "That's not what I meant, Edward. Besides, she only treats you like a child to irk you." Sobering, she prodded, "Well, how did she react?"

I didn't like playing the spy for anyone, even Esme, but I knew that she was still uneasy, even with the 'Mrs. Cullen' bit. "When you brought up the 'share and share alike' line, the image of Carlisle and her popped into her head for a split second, but the _thought_ she had was 'off limits.' I'm reasonably certain she doesn't have designs on him."

_Thinking about Carlisle like that just means she's got eyes in her head. So long as she doesn't entertain that notion..._ She sighed, her smile peaceful. "Thank you, Edward. That eases my mind considerably."


	7. Good Hunting

For another week, Tanya lost several games a night to me. First she tried thinking in various languages, all of which I knew well enough to manage. The next night, she restricted her strategies to single words. While that did make it a bit more difficult for me to follow, it also seemed to inhibit her own ability to plan. On the third night, she played aggressively, but that only made her lose more quickly.

I was quite pleased. Three nights in a row I'd spent in the lair of the succubi, and I was still as chaste as before we moved here. At this rate, Tanya would realize the futility of deceiving me by the end of the week.

The fourth night, Tanya played defensively, not planning her next move until after I'd made mine. She even looked away from the chessboard while I made my move, so as to not give anything away. We spent the entire night on one game, and even though she couldn't plan without my knowing, she was a good enough player to thwart my every strategy. I barely won.

The fifth night was full of distraction. We had to move to the kitchen because Esme, with the help of Kate and Irina, was rebuilding the living room from the floorboards up.

As I watched them dismantle the room, I thought of what an unlikely trio they were. Two succubi working side-by-side with Esme, the epitome of modesty. _I can't wait to see this when it's done. Alice won't mind us picking out flooring and fixtures without her, but we'll have to make sure she can come with us to buy the new furnishings. She'd be hurt if we didn't bring her along._

Irina reminded me of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Right now, that goddess was viciously ripping up carpet in misplaced aggression. _Tanya's taking forever. I'd have him howling with pleasure in ten minutes, but no. Tanya has to string him along and figure out what makes him tick. He must be dying of disappointment. He gets invited over to OUR house and gets stuck playing chess all night. One way or another, Tanya's turn will be up soon and I finally have a chance to give him what he's after._

It takes a lot to nauseate a vampire, but...

_Edward, your move._

I looked back to the chessboard, then twisted suddenly, catching Kate mid-leap. She grinned as I held her suspended above my head. _Caught me, did you?_ she giggled.

She was always throwing herself at me — literally. Whenever she thought I wasn't paying attention, Kate would suddenly bound onto my lap or throw her arms around me. _You're getting much harder to sneak up on,_ she grinned.

Esme was laughing. "Edward, are you distracting my work crew?"

"I'm trying to play chess," I grumbled, glaring at Kate.

_Time's wasting._ Tanya gave me a Cheshire grin.

Setting Kate back on her feet and giving her a gentle shove toward the living room, I turned back to the chessboard. Mechanically, I moved my rook to threaten Tanya's remaining knight.

Esme's laugh distracted me again. Kate was the giggliest vampire I'd ever met and it was fun to watch her and Esme together. She always brought out Esme's playful side. If Irina was Artemis, then Kate was Persephone — sweet, eternal youth incarnate. Terrifying talent notwithstanding.

By the sixth night, Tanya was eying me with something between frustration and respect. She didn't call me 'pet' anymore either.

As we started our first game on the seventh night, Tanya tried a new distraction. In her memory, she seduced human after human, her hands and lips roaming. And she kept rubbing her own neck. _I REALLY need to hunt soon._

When I took her king's bishop without losing my knight, though, I realized this wasn't a ploy. She was even more distracted than I was. "What's with the throat?"

"Hmm?" She looked up from the chessboard and focused on me with difficulty. 

"Why do you never kiss their lips? You seem to have an obsession with throats."

Tanya looked at me with sudden suspicion. _I wasn't thinking in words._

I grinned. "That doesn't mean you weren't thinking."

Her eyes were angry. _You said you HEARD the thoughts of others._

"I never said that I _only_ hear thoughts, although that's usually the case. Most of the time, people don't think much about their surroundings. Their words are the only thing that's clear. But if there's mental effort involved — memory, imagination, close scrutiny, Alice's visions — then I can see thoughts too."

She gave me a wry grin. _And here I thought I was being so sly, planning my strategies in images rather than words. You're a bigger challenge than I ever imagined._

I shrugged. "It was actually clearer than words would have been. But you didn't want any hints." I was curious now. "Why the throat, though? I should think the scent would be maddening."

_It is, but that's part of the pleasure,_ she winked. _I think vampires like you and I must have a masochistic streak or we wouldn't try to abstain from humans at all._ Then she sobered. _The biggest reason I shy away from lips is because it's safer. Men really have no self-control. All it takes is the lips or tongue touching my teeth, and I get a taste of him, and..._ she shrugged, _you know. _

Thankfully, she focused on the chess pieces before I got more than a hint of that particular memory. She shook her head in dismay. _This game is all but lost already. I'm afraid I'm far beneath your abilities today, Edward. I'm not going to be good for anything until after I've hunted._

"So go hunt."

She eyed _my_ neck then, and an image of us in her bed filled her mind.

"That _wasn't_ an invitation, Tanya," I scolded.

_He's going to be impossible to seduce if he can see us coming._

I felt smug despite myself. "I'm glad you finally realized that. You're just going to have to hunt outside the Cullen household, I'm afraid."

Her smile was positively wicked. "It's not the Cullen _household_ I'm interested in." _The rest of the Cullen men are quite safe. You're more entertainment than all three of them put together. And I do not speak for myself alone. I'd rather have you to myself, of course, but Irina's also interested, and if we fail, there's always Kate. You're far too delightful a challenge for any of us to simply pass up._

I clenched my jaw, and she rose to her feet, taking in my anger with amusement. _You know, most men would find the attention of three such discerning women to be flattering._

"Discerning?" I spat. Loose didn't even _begin_ to describe Tanya and her sisters.

She drifted over to my side of the table and leaned against it. _You misunderstand us, Edward. We don't hunt indiscriminately. Only the strongest and most virtuous attract us. The fact that all three of us find you worthwhile is a high compliment._

"If it were just a matter of attraction, it'd be different."

_Indeed? How?_

I grew still, annoyed with myself. They didn't need any more ammunition than they already had. "I'm not looking to be a conquest, Tanya. This isn't attraction — it's predatory. I am the _hunted_."

_He feels genuinely intimidated._ Then she caught herself. _Does Kate frighten you, Edward? She shouldn't._ Her eyes were amused. _I haven't resigned yet._ Then she patted me amiably on the shoulder. _Care to come hunting with me? Thirst, since you seem to have your hunger in check._

I cleared my throat at the pun. "No. Thank you. I was going to help Esme with some research." She wanted my opinion on the home theater system for Tanya's new living room. Besides, I wasn't so confident in myself that I'd wander alone in the wilds with a succubus.

_Until next week, then._

On our way home, Esme looped her arm through mine. _On the one hand I'm proud of him, but on the other hand..._

I nudged her with my shoulder. "I can hear you, Esme."

She chuckled, then looked back to make sure we were out of earshot. "Alright, then. I'm worried about you, Edward. We've all found our mates, so of course it would horrid if one of the others were to yield. But you've never been in love. You've been alone longer than I've been a vampire."

I didn't need to read her mind to know what was behind this little heart-to-heart. "What are you saying I should do? Just go for it? Pounce Tanya or one of her sisters? Or all of them, since that's apparently what they want."

_Don't be ridiculous._ "Of course not. But you haven't so much as given them a chance. Maybe..."

"Esme."

She stopped and put her hand on my chest. "I haven't seen you enjoy chess this much in the eighty years I've known you."

I shrugged. "I like them well enough, but they annoy me more often than not."

"You _like_ them?" She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "These are succubi, Edward! That's my whole point! A full-grown man wouldn't just _like_ Tanya or her sisters."

"Would you prefer me to have a fling and prove my manliness?" I said, my words dripping sarcasm.

Esme gave me a wry smile. _What am I going to do with you?_ "No. I don't want you to have a fling."

"Well that's all it would be if I yielded. None of them would be content with just me for eternity — not one of them."

She sighed, concern furrowing her brow. "I just wish you could find love, Edward."

"But I don't love any of them," I protested. "You know as well as I do that I'm not going to fall in love simply because you want me to, Esme."

She sighed. _I just worry for you, Edward._

I laughed. "I know. It's what you do."

But she was determined that I take her seriously. _It worries me that they don't turn your head in the slightest. What if you were too young when Carlisle changed you? What if you're INCAPABLE of love._

I put an arm around her. "I love _you_."

In the first few months after he changed her, Carlisle suspected Esme and I were falling in love. Little did he know we were so close because she was madly in love with Carlisle and I was a source of information. Whenever I declared my love for her, it reminded Esme of those days. She laughed despite herself. "But you don't love anyone the way I love Carlisle."

"Would it ease your mind if I said that they are all very physically attractive?"

"Marginally," she pouted. _And only if you meant it._

The first night they were gone, a part of me was relieved that I wasn't going to do battle with Tanya, but a niggling part of me was a just a touch disappointed. I wasn't lying when I told Esme that Tanya annoyed me more often than not, but I did enjoy the challenge. And if I were honest, I'd admit that I also enjoyed repeatedly trouncing Tanya at her own game.

The second night, I realized my danger. If they were anything like the women in my own family, I was in trouble. They would use this week to plot against me. I bolted from Carlisle's library to Alice's room. She was sitting in front of her antiqued vanity and smiled up innocently at me in the mirror. I didn't buy it for a second. She'd been suspiciously quiet through all this. "Tanya and her sisters are conspiring against me, aren't they."

_Yes._ She pursed her lips in annoyance and turned around to face me. "Edward, you can't make me spy on them for you. I refuse to be your own personal crystal ball."

"Since when?"

She grinned. "Since your life has become so very interesting."

I glowered at her, but she glowered right back at me. I knew that if I asked her point-blank, she'd answer reflexively. "What have you seen?"

_Chess matches._

Unfortunately, _she_ knew the secret around my abilities — giving an answer both truthful and useless. 

"Please, Alice?" I wheedled. "This is my honor at stake."

She eyed me, amused and a little annoyed. _Fine. I don't see any of them making an overt move for you. But somehow, I doubt it's a future that's... stable. I don't see you losing any chess matches either. Just more of the same. But I haven't exactly been looking. I'm afraid I'm not much help._

I breathed a deep sigh of relief. "No, Alice. You're a huge help."

Tanya called me when they came home, and as usual, Esme tagged along. As we approached the house, I could tell by their pointed focus on color swatches that I was in serious trouble. Tanya opened the door with a self-satisfied grin. _Welcome, Edward._ "Hello, Mrs. Cullen." _I believe I just might have you tonight, Edward._ "Right this way."

We took our places at the kitchen table, while Esme, Kate and Irina debated the virtues of various flooring options. No help there.

Tanya looked over her pieces, and the words that went through her mind were complete gibberish to me. And no images, either. Had she picked up a new, obscure language while she was away? I could learn it too, if it came to that. Focusing intently on her thoughts, I listened for words to be repeated. But they weren't. She moved two pawns and didn't think the same word twice. Three times she touched her bishop, and three times, it was a different word.

Definitely serious trouble.

By this point, she'd devastated my pawns and taken one of my knights. For the first time in decades, I felt the beginnings of genuine fear.

There! She repeated a word that she'd used for pawn. Or maybe it was rook, since that was the piece she moved then.

Irina and Kate closed in behind me, their thoughts all a-twitter with excitement. _It's working! Even if he figures it out now, there's no way he could recover the game._

Esme looked at the board. _Good heavens! He's losing!_

No pressure. "Thanks for pointing that out, Esme."

Her hand rested lightly on my shoulder. _Sorry. I just never thought I'd see the day..._

"I know," I growled.

_Sorry. I'll try to let you concentrate._

I was completely blind to Tanya's strategy, and in another five moves, she had me in check. Trapped. I stared at the board, unable to breathe. For the first time ever in my vampire existence, I'd lost a game of chess. And I'd lost it to a succubus. Despair, terror, shock all ran through me. She had broken through my defenses. Tanya had beaten me.

She was all but purring. _Men are always such sore losers. Do you resign, Edward?_

"No." I refused to surrender, and I wasn't about to let her queen topple me. In my final act of defiance, the last white pawn moved to protect my king from her queen, but the black bishop had me.

"Check-" she savored the word, "-mate."


	8. Sore Loser

I immediately left to find Carlisle. Eventually, I found him Jasper's computer room, reading an on-line report about a clinical trial of something or another. "We need to relocate," I blurted out. "Or I need to, at least."

He swiveled his chair around, alarmed. "Have you perceived a threat?"

"Not as such. It's more... personal."

"Personal?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Tanya's coven."

"Hmm." He gave me a shrewd look. _You're over there every night, and even Esme has come to trust them. What went wrong?_

"I lost a game of chess." As I said it, I realized how ridiculous it sounded.

_YOU lost a game of chess?_

Good. He was taking this seriously. "Yes. Tanya's been using it as a way find weaknesses in my talent." 

"And she succeeded?" Carlisle stared at me slack-jawed. _I didn't think your talent HAD any weaknesses._

I snorted. "Me neither." Until now.

He sighed. _First the women, now you. Edward, there is no cause for panic. You've lived without human blood for decades. You know better than any of my family that there is always a choice._

"What about Kate?" I shuddered at the thought of being paralyzed and at her mercy in some secluded place. She may be giggly and light-hearted, but she was still a succubus.

_That's right._ He gave me sympathetic look. _I'd forgotten about that._

I wish I could!

_Her talent could be problematic,_ he admitted. Carlisle's eyes were grave. _If you feel threatened, then don't hesitate to leave, and we'll straighten things out from a safe distance. But I'm reluctant to uproot everyone without at least considering our options first. Give me a few nights to discuss it with Esme. If she doesn't have any solutions, we'll bring it before the family as a whole._

I didn't want to toss my insecurities out for public viewing, but I didn't want to be prey, either. "Thanks."

When I came home from school the next day, I could hear Tanya's thoughts as she perused the CD collection in my bedroom. What on earth was she doing there? "Esme!"

Esme's thoughts reached me from her studio. _Edward, I think you need to talk to her._ Even in her mind, she used her firm, motherly tone.

The door to her studio stood open, revealing Esme's little sanctuary dedicated to beauty. The room itself was a work of art, the walls painted in a lifelike forest mural. Green drapes framed the huge bay window that opened onto a wide field, and the floor was tiled in the tones of rich soil. A fountain graced one corner, and the ceiling was a pale blue. In the middle of all this, Esme stood in front of her easel, putting a few finishing touches on Tanya's portrait.

I leaned against the door jamb, remembering Alice's vision from the day she met Tanya. "Who was the one ready to do battle with them just a month ago?"

A smile flitted across Esme's face, but she didn't look up from the canvas. _She's more complex than I thought, and I'm a firm believer in second chances. Go talk to her, Edward._

From her tone of voice, I knew Esme was squarely on Tanya's side in this one, and I left the room in disgust. How had she won Esme over? I reluctantly climbed the stairs, growing more angry with each step. Why didn't Esme at least make Tanya wait in the living room? By the time I stood in front of my door, I was irate.

"Do come in, Edward," Tanya called.

I pushed open the door to see her standing in the middle of the room — my room. The drapes were drawn, making the lighting intimate, and she had Smetana's "Sharka" playing in my stereo. Appropriate. Tanya's face was unreadable and her mind quiet. "Hello."

"What are you doing here?" I snarled from the doorway.

She smiled innocently. "I come here all the time."

"I meant in my bedroom."

She looked down, chagrined. "I wanted to talk to you and thought that the most sound-proofed room in the house was probably the best place. Esme tells me you're thinking about leaving."

Traitor! I tried to look indifferent. "I'm considering striking out on my own for a while."

_Leaving!_ She twisted a ring on her pinky finger nervously. "I never meant to frighten you." She looked up suddenly to read my face.

Did she mean it? Or was this her next move? "You didn't," I lied.

She chuckled low. "Edward, I know men the way you know your piano. You're running scared. Come in here and let me lay your fears to rest."

She'd corrupted me — I was seeing innuendos everywhere. I hesitated. "I understand you just fine out here, thanks."

She half-shrugged. "If you really want your siblings to overhear us."

Emmett was the last person I wanted eavesdropping — he'd been ribbing me for weeks. I stepped inside and, shutting the door, leaned against it. "You have ten minutes."

_That's not long. Time flies..._ She drifted a step closer to me. "I never meant to intimidate you."

"Uh-huh."

Her lips turned up in a wry smile. "Okay, so maybe I did a little bit, as one player to another. What do they call it these days? Trash talking?" Another step closer, sauntering this time. "But there's no reason to leave."

I could name three. "This is not something I'm going to discuss with you. If and when I leave is my own decision. Not even Carlisle is going to tell me yea or nay."

_Knight on the board, unaware of the hand that moves him._ "Edward, do you know why we hunt the way we do?"

I snorted. "The line 'what a way to go' comes to mind."

"That was in the early days, before we could abstain." _Nor does it explain the male vampires._

"Not particularly interested at this point, Tanya."

She tisked. "You see, this is why I could beat you! You were so focused on mechanics that you overlooked philosophies. If you'd tried to read my strategies instead of my mind you would have had a decent chance." Another step, bringing her within arm's reach. "Take the time to understand us, and you'll see there is no need to flee."

Then it clicked. This was why Esme sided with Tanya. They both wanted me to stay. "Why don't you want me to leave?"

_You'd win._ She winced in irritation at her mental slip. "That and I'd lose... a friend." 

I actually rolled my eyes. "A friend."

She sidled closer, crossing into my personal space. I had that hunted feeling again. "Fine," she conceded. "A chess partner. Someone who actually makes me _think_ every now and again." Her fingers caressed my collarbone. "Someone interesting."

Despite myself, I felt a little thrill at her touch. Women — especially human women — lusted after me, but none had yet been bold enough act on those thoughts. I felt dangerously flattered. Catching her hand, I pushed it away with a smirk. "So you want me for my intellect?"

"Not _just_ your intellect." She was close enough now that I was sandwiched between her body and the door. "Although your mind is one of the most intriguing I've ever encountered." _As you've already noticed,_ she ran her fingers through my hair, _I have a thing for necks._

"My neck can't be anywhere near as interesting as the humans on your last hunt." If I had any sense, I'd be running from the room right now. 

Her lips pressed against the hollow of my throat, making me catch my breath. "I enjoy yours for different reasons." _Like the reaction I get._

Putting my hands on her shoulders, I gently pushed her away, at least far enough to give me breathing space. "You have five minutes, and I still don't see any reason to stay."

She stepped in again, and this time her lips caressed my ear. "Don't you see? I love you, Edward."

I barked out a laugh. That was the biggest lie I'd heard in at least fifty years.

She trailed kisses down my neck. "You doubt me?" 

Focus! "Given your track record, yes."

She rocked back, her eyes flashing in anger. "What is that supposed to mean?"

There was hurt behind the anger. It surprised me. "Tanya... you're a succubus."

"Precisely my point," she said stiffly, not budging an inch. "It was love that first gave me the strength to abstain — that same love keeps me strong." 

She gave me her signature speculative look. _How will he judge me?_ "The first man I left without killing was a monk named Thomas. Every night, I came to his bedside and woke him. Every night he adjured me, but of course, he couldn't make me leave." She smiled fondly at the memory. "When that failed, he used every argument in the book — and a few I'd never even thought of before — to try to make me leave."

"But his scent was the sweetest I'd known in three hundred years of hunting." Swallowing hard, she gave me a wry smile. "I wouldn't take him without giving him his due, of course, but there was no way he could simply talk me into walking away. He resisted for almost three weeks, until the thirst was painful, but when he finally took my body, I could not take his blood. I looked at his peaceful, sleeping face and realized that the fire in my throat was not worth the life of that brilliant man." 

She smiled at my shock. "Is that not love, to put another's needs above your own, even if it hurts you? It's love that keeps me strong, Edward — two hundred years strong. I hunt the way I do out of love."

I'd never really considered their motives, beyond the payment aspect. Was this what Esme meant about complexity? I searched her eyes. "But you could never love only me."

She tilted her head in agreement. "Nor would I expect to be _your_ only love." Her hand rested on my neck, her thumb tracing my jawline. "But that doesn't mean I don't love you." She fought a smile. _And I know you love me too._

Nice try. "You _know_ that, do you?"

"Give me some credit, Edward. The trick I used to defeat your talent would only ever work in a chess game, and only once at that."

"Speaking of which," I tried to distract her, "how did you manage it?"

_You really don't know?_ Her eyes danced. "A lady never gives away her secrets."

"And you're a lady?" I didn't mean to say it like that.

_Touché_ She laughed lightly. "The strategy itself was ridiculously simple. There are only six chess pieces and maybe as many words to describe their motions. I thought of four nonsense words for each piece. The hard part was drilling those words into my head deeply enough that I would think in _those_ words. I'm afraid my sisters found me a bit tiresome last week."

"But I digress." She gave me a coy look, her hand drifting to trail fingernails across the nape my neck. "You weren't ready to skip the country because you were actually afraid of _me_. You were afraid of what you felt — fascinated, vulnerable, bewildered. In a word, love."

I stared at her, dumbfounded. She had me in check — I'd been outmaneuvered again. And her fingernails were sending ripples of pleasure down my back. Damn it!

"Stay, Edward." Her voice was low and sultry. "Stay and play me. You've beaten me at my own game twice. Allow me the pleasure of a rematch."

I gave her a lop-sided grin. "You really are a masochist."

Her lips twitched, fighting a smile. _Takes one to know one._

She stood on her tip-toes, leaning in to kiss me, but I turned my head. Her lips touched my cheek.

I put my hands on her shoulders, easing her away again. "The next move is mine," I said firmly.

She winked at me. "I've spent a thousand years at this game, Edward. I can wait."


	9. Artemis

I went hunting later that evening, finally confident that Tanya wouldn't be following me. Esme's words kept coming back to me as I ran through arctic night. The trees fell away behind me, yielding to the flat tundra. I was alone, but I didn't mind. I loved Alaska precisely because I _could_ be alone.

I barely noticed the bland caribou I hunted, mechanically taking them until my thirst ebbed. 

The people in my family all had dramatic love stories. Esme was changed by and won the heart of the vampire of her dreams. Rosalie found the wounded and bleeding Emmett — while on a hunt no less — and resisted the call of his blood. Alice and Jasper had always known they were incomplete and recognized each other as soul-mates at first sight.

Not everyone had a romance worth writing a book about, though. Sometimes love was as simple as meeting someone you enjoyed spending time with, and that pleasure later grew into love. It was something of a shock to realize I was quite capable of reciprocating what Tanya was offering.

Instantly, I chided myself for entertaining such a notion. I didn't want anyone's love, and I wasn't one to simply lust after a woman. Eleazar said it best — unattached and whole in and of myself — and I wasn't likely to change. After one hundred years, I'd heard it all. There was no woman under the sun who would keep my attention for eternity. And as I'd seen in Carlisle's family, the eternal kind of love was the only kind worth having. The next move was mine, and I wasn't going to make it.

The exquisite heat of the shower was what finally brought my mind back to the present. Several of our last houses had hot-tubs, but Esme decided on a sauna this time. Unfortunately, I knew what often went on in there and so never used it. That left me with the shower. I stood under a stream of water so hot it would scald a human, sighing contentedly.

_Is that Edward in the shower?_ It was Irina. I couldn't hear her voice above the water, but her thoughts were clear.

Rosalie answered her. _Yeah. He's been out hunting._

_Finally, my turn! Hey Edward! Can you hear me, Edward?_

I didn't answer. Couldn't I at least shower in peace?

_Hmm. I bet he can hear me. Edward, check this out!_

I was hit with a barrage of images — Irina in the shower with me, a soapy washcloth in her hand, her lips peppering my body with kisses. I staggered against the wall of the shower stall, desperately trying to block her thoughts. Her imagination was so vivid and _explicit_.

_If you'd like me to join you, just say the word, Edward. Unless of course you can think of a more appropriate venue._

"Shut up, Irina! Get out of my head!"

Now she was imagining us in the sauna, the heat making our bare skin tingle.

I was appalled. I had done nothing wrong and I still felt sullied. It was bad enough to overhear what my family members were doing, but to feature in someone's fantasies — and not just some schoolgirl crush of a fantasy either — left me feeling violated.

Mostly. Well, it left my soul feeling violated. Apparently my body had poor taste.

I angrily turned off the water. This was unbearable. I quickly toweled off and put on clean clothes, then threw open the door. Irina stood in the hall, smirking at me. I reminded myself it was wrong for a man to hit a woman, and for the first time in my existence, I wished I was female. "Leave me alone!"

She took the towel from my numb hand and dabbed at my hair with it. "Come on, Edward. It wasn't _that_ bad now, was it?"

Bolting down the stairs, I flew through the back door and took off into the night. I didn't know where I was going and, frankly, didn't care, so long as I could get away from her thoughts.

But she wasn't letting me go that easily. I could hear Irina behind me. _Oh, this is too easy!_

She was _following_ me!

_Wait up, Edward!_ She was thoroughly amused. _There's more!_ Images of me and her — in the shower, in the forest, in her bedroom. I ran even faster.

This was _not_ how it was supposed to work! The virtuous man flees, leaving the seductress behind. She wasn't supposed to give chase! 

Images of her slowly stripping, performing for me. Why wouldn't she just leave me alone! The trees were thinning again, and I realized I was retracing my hunting route from earlier. I was not going to be prey — this was going to end here and now. Skidding to a halt, I turned to face her onslaught.

She smirked at my murderous expression and leaped into my arms, wrapping her legs around me. I was NOT in a playful mood. Reflexively, I threw her to the ground and pinned her there. She lay under me, laughing hysterically.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I growled.

She sobered, raising one eyebrow, but her eyes still danced with humor. "Considering we're miles from help and you're laying on top of me, I believe that's _my_ line."

Snarling, I lunged to me feet and paced back and forth. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

_So much tension! He needs this even more than I thought._

My fury turned cold and I gave her an icy look. "I neither need nor want anything from you, Irina. Go away." Before I hurt you.

"Look at us, Edward." Her eyes darted toward the surrounding, night-clad forest. "We're in the middle of nowhere. No one will judge you here. If it will make you feel better, say that you resisted me, which would be true, to a point." _Who's going to even see us?_

I snorted. "Alice. She's probably _already_ seen this." And was probably laughing her head off. That line might work with someone else, but there were no secrets in my family.

Her voice was low. "And who will _she_ tell?"

No one. I narrowed my eyes at her. "I'll know."

Irina's smile was sweetly alluring. "And I'll make sure it's a memory you cherish forever." 

She began unbuttoning her blouse and I turned my back on her. This couldn't be happening!

There was hurt in her voice now. "Is it really such a terrible thought — accepting the freely-offered love of a woman?"

I grimaced at the trees. Her love was a little too freely offered.

I heard her walking to stand in front of me, and I closed my eyes before I could see how much skin she'd revealed. This could NOT be happening! "Go away. I want nothing to do with you."

In her mind, I saw myself as she looked me over from head to toe, her gaze lingering _there_. If I could have died of embarrassment, I would have. "Your body is saying otherwise, Edward."

Yeah, well, I'd already established it had no taste.

She took a step nearer, and I could feel her proximity. "You're already a remarkably good man. You mastered your thirst only a few years after tasting human blood." She drew even nearer, pressing up against me. I clasped my hands behind my back. "Edward," she purred, "appeasing your body's hunger will not change that. It might even make you stronger against the thirst. It makes _me_ stronger."

My jaw clenched. "How many men have you had sex with, Irina?"

Her breath washed over my neck, and there was a pout in her voice. "One too few."

No! No! No! No! No! No!

I bolted again. My breath was coming in gasps, throwing my whole body out of sync, slowing me down. Holding my breath, I fell back into a good running rhythm and tried to think more clearly. I had at least a mile lead on Irina, assuming she took the time to put her clothes back on. With the cold wind in my face, my mistake became clear. I'd let Irina corner me alone. Never again. I wasn't going to tell anyone what had happened, but I was sticking with my family from here on out. I turned my feet toward home.

Esme was in her studio, working on the plans for a remodel of Tanya's kitchen and coward that I was, I went to hide behind my mother's skirt.

Rosalie heard me come in and ducked her head into the studio. "Where...?"

We all heard the back door close with a bang. Rosalie frowned in annoyance and went back to the living room. "Where did you go?" 

Irina was seething. "Edward and I went for a race. He won." _I have never been more insulted in my entire existence!_

Insulted? 

"I'll be up in just a second, Rosalie." Irina stormed into the studio. "Hello, Esme."

Esme looked from me to Irina. _What did you do to her, Edward?_

I almost growled in frustration. How could Esme think this was _my_ fault?

"Esme," Irina spoke through gritted teeth, "would you mind giving Edward and me a moment?" _I don't want you to hear the things I'm going to call your son._

With a dark look at me, Esme left and shut the door behind her. _You had better be a gentleman!_

I ignored Esme's rebuke. I'd been a gentleman and more. "Don't start with me, Irina. You ran me out of my own home. I'm the one who gets to be insulted."

She crossed her arms. "I didn't force you to do anything, Edward! You led me out away from your family and then you rejected me."

"Led you? LED YOU? What part of 'leave me alone' do you not understand?"

"I understand what you really want — what you visibly want — and I tried to give it to you. I hunt in monasteries, Edward. Thousands of men have lied, saying they didn't want me. And every one of them eventually came to see the truth. I offered you the same gift!"

Gift? What a piece of work! "It's not personal, Irina. I would have run from any woman."

Her eyes narrowed. _He can't really mean that. There must be some female he didn't run from._

"Actually, no. There isn't."

She blinked in surprise, then remembered my gift. "You mean it?" _You're a virgin?_

I nodded slowly, thinking, _Here it comes._

"And you STILL ran?" Her face was still a mask of disbelief.

My shoulders slumped in exasperation. "Yes."

"Wow." A smile slowly spread across her face. _Carlisle's got nothing on you._

What? "I wouldn't say that. You hunt in monasteries — surely you've encountered at least a few men strong enough to resist you."

Her smile turned impish. _Actually no. Besides, that's different. They're mortal. They think we're demons and that we can't be resisted. And with our vampire strength, they're right. But you, on the other hand..._

She stepped closer, and I willed my body to not react. It wasn't listening.

"You desperately want me," she whispered, her breath on my neck again, "you have no reason to fear me, and no reason to resist. And yet you do."

There had to be a way to make her understand. Then I remembered what Tanya had said. "Why do you resist the call of blood, Irina?" I asked quietly.

She suddenly looked away, sorrow on her face. _Love._ She met my gaze again, embarrassed. _You heard that, didn't you?_

I nodded. "You have no reason to be ashamed. Compassion — love — is what gives Carlisle his strength. And he's a surgeon."

She recognized my compliment and smiled. "I look in the face of one whose blood I crave, and I see a man I love. I can't hurt him then."

"I was raised to believe that... sex was first and foremost about love." It was a lesson I learned from both my fathers. "It would be a lie to accept your freely offered love when I couldn't return it in kind."

Her smile was wry. _You mean you don't love me?_

Irina's tone was more teasing than hurt, and it relieved me greatly. "Not that way. Ask Eleazar. It's just not part of who I am." I held her gaze. "My love would have strings attached. If there ever comes a day when I do accept that kind of love, she will be the first and last woman for me. And I would expect the same of her — the part about being her last lover, anyway."

_Huh. So this is what humans mean about incompatibility. I always thought it was just a silly excuse._ Her fingertips traced my lips. "You really are a heart-breaker, you know that?"

I moved her hand away. "You'll get over it."

Again that impish smile. "Yep."


	10. Last Chance

I should have been on my guard. Not even a year had passed since Irina's little stunt. Three seasons — nine months — what's that to a vampire? Kate still hadn't made a pass at me, and nine measly little months should not have been long enough to make me forget that she too was a succubus — the most powerful of them.

Kate bounced into the living room with Alice. "Hi, Edward!"

I looked up from the TV and smiled at her. "Hi, Kate." Alice waved wordlessly and headed up to change, thinking about what she would wear next. They'd been hunting together.

"Are you busy right now?"

"Not really." _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ was on, but it was a rerun. The vampires were all wrong in that show — the idea of some teenage girl being the death of _me_ was laughable. But Joss Whedon always kept his viewers on their toes, so I enjoyed it. "What's up?"

"There's something I'd like to show you."

I was hesitant. "Okay."

"You have to come with me, silly."

"What are we going to see?"

The image of a bear flickered through her mind, but she immediately refocused on my face. "It's a surprise. Something very rare."

Unless she had intentionally planted that image — and even Carlisle wasn't that good — then she wasn't planning on trying anything. "Sure. Lead the way."

We ran side-by-side, skirting the mountain that stood between our families, then rounded its north slope. The night was old, but I could hear that no one was near. We crossed a snowfield and Kate slowed to a walk as we entered the trees. I could smell a large predator then, probably the bear I'd gotten a glimpse of. It was feeding off a caribou carcass — a bloodless one, I noted. It rose on it hind legs as we approached then slowly lowered to the ground as though falling asleep. Kate's talent, no doubt.

There were many among my kind who had remarkable gifts and talents, but none seemed so magical to me as Kate. Her power completely overrode the bear's own instincts. She sinuously sat down and cradled its head in her lap, stroking its neck. Only then did I notice that this was a kind of bear I'd never seen before. Its fur was predominantly white, though there were a few tan splotches, and its face was that of a grizzly.

"Is this what I think it is?" I asked.

She fought back a smile. _Indeed he is, a grizzly — polar bear hybrid._

"How is that possible?" Bear mating wasn't an accidental thing. The courtship lasted weeks.

"I don't know," she said softly. "I've never seen anything like him before. I killed his mother this spring before I realized she had young. This little man and I have been friends ever since." _I hunt for him._

When I bothered to think about animals, it was only as an insufficient substitute for what I really craved. Watching Kate affectionately pet a creature whose mother she had killed stirred a strange emotion in me. I wanted to protect Kate's adopted pet too. "Have the others seen him?" I hoped not.

Her eyes were soft. _No. Not even my family. Just you — and Alice in vision of course._ Kate's thoughts were quiet now, words stilled as she lost herself in the warm creature before her. I closed my eyes as well, listening to his pulse and breath, feeling his fur move under my hand as life flowed through him.

We sat there in easy contentment until night faded to day. Dawn came and a few stray sunbeams made their way through the trees. Kate shimmered in the rosy light like a young goddess — Persephone come to visit the tundra. _The lesser of two evils is still evil._ She met my gaze, and her smile was wistful. _I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you._

I looked at her questioningly, her arm scintillating as she resumed stroking him. _The sun reminded me of what I am. When I'm like this,_ she nodded toward the bear, _it's easy to forget._

"What do you mean?" I whispered softly.

Her smile faded. _For the others, it is a choice between being a killer or being a lover, and eventually love won out over the thirst. But for me, it's a choice between killing the beast I adore or the man I love._ In her mind, I saw a disrobed man laying on a bed, a bright red trickle dripping from his torn throat.

The image saddened me, and I thought of what Kate must have felt, a thousand of times over, as she slept with a man and then took his life. What had she said? It was a penance — a self-inflicted punishment for being what she was. 

_Just because I love men more, it does not mean I love the rest of creation any less. The lesser of two evils is still evil._ She sighed. _I wish there was a way to truly be a vegetarian vampire._

She was still Persephone, but in an everlasting winter — the fair, young visage of death. I felt great sorrow for her and laid my hand over hers.

"Thank you, Edward." Her sorrow softened to a grateful smile. "I hoped you would understand."

She leaned closer — to kiss me! I scrambled away, scooting several feet from her in my surprise.

Kate laughed softly, then stood, releasing the bear. He tore out of the clearing, but she ignored him. "Did I startle you?"

"Yes." I wasn't about to tell her just how much.

_He's as skittish as a mouse._ A coy smile played on her lips. "I'm sorry." She moved with deliberate slowness to come sit beside me again.

"Kate..."

She placed a finger on my lips. "Shh." _Slow and gentle. There is nothing to be afraid of, sweetheart._

"It's not that I'm afraid..."

Kate chuckled softly. _I slipped, didn't I, forgetting you hear my thoughts? You caught me in a weak moment._

My fingers wrapped around her wrist and I firmly pulled her hand away from my face. "As I was saying, I'm not afraid..."

_Liar._ Her eyes sparkled in amusement. _I did it again, didn't I? But that one wasn't my fault. You're the one who's an awful liar. You're terrified. Do you really know me so poorly?_

"I recall — the one time you had me in your grip — you mentioning that you could really have some fun with me."

Her eyes sparkled. "Oh, come on, Edward! It's not like I'm Irina!" _Have you ever even been kissed?_

"No. Not even a kiss."

Her finger traced my jaw. "For a hundred years, you've had a perfect, powerful, and very attractive body and have never once enjoyed it? What a waste!"

I could argue the morality of it — that I wasn't going to enjoy myself that way unless it was with my future wife — but I had a feeling it would fall on deaf ears. Whether I protested or not, she could do whatever she wanted to me. I chose my words carefully. "I don't want to be just another statistic, Kate."

She pouted. "You think it's just a numbers game to me? That I keep score? Edward, I'm hurt!"

Somehow, I doubted that.

Kate's eyes all but smoldered. _Just one little kiss, Edward. It's nothing wrong, nothing indecent._ She drew nearer, her breath tickling my skin. _No promises, no expectations. Just a moment between dear friends. A moment that just might become something more._

No. "Kate." There was a warning in my voice.

She sat back and her brows furrowed in annoyance. "What?"

"Not even a kiss."

Her eyes grew hard, immobilizing me as she glared. "Look, Edward, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but you're not going to leave here without at least giving me a kiss." She said kiss, but that wasn't the image in her head. "So what's it going to be?"

How in the world was I going to get out of this one? If I let her kiss me, I was certain it wouldn't stop there. And so was she. And as Kate was so clearly demonstrating, it was impossible for me to resist her.

She glowered expectantly, but I couldn't make my lips move to speak.

_Oh! I forgot!_ Giggling at herself, she rolled her eyes, releasing me. "Well?"

Stall! "So let me get this straight," I said slowly. "I give you a kiss — just one — and I'm free to go?"

_He underestimates what I can do in a single kiss._ Her eyes sparkled in amusement. "If you _wanted_ to, you could go then."

Then inspiration struck me. "I can't fight you, Kate," I sighed. "You win." Jumping to my feet, I pulled her roughly into my arms. She smiled smugly, victory in her eyes as I lowered my face toward hers.

Then I quickly drew her hand to my lips and gently kissed it.

She stared at me, dumbfounded, then burst out in laughter. _You sly scrapper! Kissing my hand like I'm some high-born lady!_

Relief washed over me and I smiled too. "So I'm free to go?"

Laughing too hard to speak, she waved me away with her hand. _Go on, you! Before I change my mind._

She didn't have to tell me twice, and I turned to bolt, but I suddenly felt her holding me tightly from behind, her arms around my ribs. She kissed the back of my neck and said softly, "Gotcha!" Then, giggling, Kate finally set me free.

The next day after school, Esme called me in to her studio.

"What do you need?" I asked.

She didn't look up from her potter's wheel. _To tell you how proud I am of you. A perfect gentleman. You left quite an impression on Kate._

I shook my head in disbelief. Kate talked to _Esme_ about what she'd done? "You're kidding."

Esme recalled Kate's words for me. _He kissed my hand, like some noble knight from my youth! Men resist and I restrain them, or they willingly embrace me. Never, in a thousand years of hunting, has my prey so courteously refused me. He completely undermined my will. How could I possibly rob Sir Galahad of his honor? You've done well, Esme. As one who stands in the place of his mother, you have a right to be proud. Virtuous beyond compare!_

I could hear the smile in her voice. "You've won, Edward. Well done."


	11. Refuge

Three years later, I found myself speeding along the Alaska's Highway 3 in Carlisle's Mercedes, my throat on fire with thirst. I'd be at Tanya's house in half an hour. That devastating girl would be safe once I was there. What was once temptation would be my refuge. The monster roared within me, desperate now. I could still change my mind ... 

The pedal was already floored, but I willed the black Mercedes to go faster yet through the deep winter night. The engine roared over those last hundred miles.

Irina was the one who opened the door, and she took in my black eyes with dismay. _It's true, then!_ "Come in, Edward."

Carmen gave me a quick hug and Eleazar shook my hand. _This girl has wholly rearranged him! He's incomplete!_

Kate bounded across the room to throw her arms around me. "Of all the reasons to visit us, Edward. Honestly!" Then she leaned back, her eyes wistful. _I'll keep you here, if you need me to._

I smiled wanly at her. "Thanks, Kate."

Tanya came to embrace me then. "Mrs. Cullen called twice. She's beside herself. What happened?"

"Think Thomas, but ten thousand times worse."

Her jaw slowly dropped as she remembered him — Thomas the monk with a brilliant mind and uniquely sweet blood. _Ten thousand times?_ Compassion warmed her eyes. "Let's get you a bite to eat and then you can tell us more."

We went hunting, all six of us, under the clear, cold stars. I drank an entire pack of wolves, then dug out a hibernating grizzly and her cub. It wasn't exactly sporting, but I was desperate to quench the burning. I glutted myself with blood, until the thirst became the usual dull ache in my throat.

Only then could I tell them about it. We went back to the house and settled into the living room that Esme and Tanya had remodeled.

"Her name is Isabella Swan," I began. "She transferred in to the school, this shy little slip of a girl." I met Tanya's gaze. "Her mind is silent to me."

She searched my eyes. "Silent?" _As in she doesn't think in words?_

"As in, nothing. I can not hear or see into her mind at all."

_How?_

_Impossible!_

_Nothing?_

A ripple of disbelief ran through the room. "But that's only the beginning. She shares a class with me, and the only available seat was the one right next to me."

Tanya's hand covered her mouth in horror. _Edward, no._

"When I caught her scent," I tried not to remember the devastating power of it, "I was reduced to an animal — a predator."

"But she's still alive?" Kate asked hopefully. _Right?_

"Yes." And I drew a degree of comfort from that fact. "Impossibly so, but yes. I held my breath through the entire hour. I planned a thousand different ways to lure her away. I imagined myself stalking her to her home."

"You? _Stalk_ a human?" Irina was astounded.

I gave her a sad smile. "Her scent completely overwhelmed me." I took a deep breath. "I tried. For Carlisle, I tried. I went to the school secretary to transfer out of our shared class, but that demon of a child followed me there. Only one witness, and there she was — drenched in rain, heart thundering, cheeks flushed with embarrassment..."

"Dios mio!" Carmen gave me a sick look. _You're making me thirsty just thinking about it._

"I ran then," I confessed. "It was that or hunt her. I drove the others home, dropping them off on the roadside, but my car was almost out of gas. I didn't want to go back into town — she'd probably materialize beside the gas pump — so I switched cars with Carlisle and ran like every fiend in hell was after me."

I met their astonished gazes one by one. "And so I'm here."

"Safe and sound," Tanya declared, patting me reassuringly on the knee. "Speaking of which, there are three more messages, at least one of which will be from Mrs. Cullen. You'd better give her a call."

"Do you want the phone?" Carmen offered.

"No, I'll use my cell." I had turned it off before I left Forks.

"Don't wander far," Irina said softly. Even she understood that now was not the time.

"I'll just be on the back porch." As soon as I closed the door, their bewildered thoughts overflowed into a flurry of whispers. I blocked them out.

The phone hadn't even rung before Esme answered with an anxious, "Edward?"

"It's me."

She was frantic. "Where are you? What happened?"

"I'm at Tanya's house," I soothed. "I would have called you earlier, but I desperately needed to hunt."

"Alice says you almost killed a girl."

"Alice is right, as usual."

Silence.

Then, her voice rough with emotion, she said, "You really scared me."

Even though she was out of range, I knew exactly what she was thinking. "I'm not going to disappear, Esme. I don't know what will happen now, but I promise you, I'm not going to do that to you again." Almost seventy years, and she still lived in terror of me leaving her and Carlisle.

"Come home, Edward."

I choked. "I can't."

"You can," she insisted. "You walked away from her once, you can do it again. You've already proven yourself strong enough."

"You don't know what you're asking of me."

"Perhaps not. But I miss you, Edward. We need you — all of us. You're stronger than this little child. Don't let her drive you away from the people who love you."

I didn't want to argue with her. "I'll think about it. I'll call you tomorrow while the others are at school, unless something else comes up."

"Very well. Oh! Carlisle wants to talk to you."

I waited with dread while the phone passed hands. "Edward?"

"Yes."

There was a pause. "I'm proud of you."

Warmth spread through me. "Thanks."

"See you soon. Hopefully," he amended.

"Soon," I promised and closed the phone.

I leaned my forearms on the porch railing, staring up at the stars. It was often overcast here, but tonight, the sky was clear. The constellation Orion the Hunter wheeled above me with Lepus the Hare cowering at his feet. Hunter and prey — mine was a battle etched in the heavens themselves.

Tanya's mind drew nearer and she opened the door. _He left his own family for fear of this puny little human girl._ She rested her head on my shoulder. "Evening, handsome."

"Hello, Tanya."

I could hear the smile in her voice. "Come here often?"

"Just when fleeing from puny little human girls." I smiled when she chuckled.

Her fingers trailed up my arm. "You really shouldn't get yourself so worked up, Edward. There are a host of ways you can resolve this — without harming the innocent female."

"You didn't catch her scent."

"No," she agreed, "I didn't. But think about it, Edward. You could simply stay here with us. You could go to places you've never seen before. You could go to the Old World, and you wouldn't have to go alone — I'd take you there." Her voice in my ear was low, seductive. "I could take you places you've only imagined."

I gave her a gentle, reproving look. "Where I would have to stand in line."

"Oh no, pet, I'd jump you to the front of the line."

I turned, leaning my back against the railing and crossing my arms. "You know how I feel," I answered — feeling annoyed and just a tiny bit flattered. "I'd have to be the end of the line too."

_Stubborn!_ Her finger traced my jaw. "I suppose so." She stood on her tiptoes, her cool breath in my ear. "Still, can't blame a girl for wishing." She kissed my cheek then leaned away. "So. What happens now?"

"Now? Now I've got to find a way to not rip her throat open for five full months."

"Edward." In her imagination, all three of them surrounded me — kissing me, touching...

Glaring, I shook her shoulders before she could get much further, but her smile was smug. _See, pet? You're stronger than you realize. What's some puny little human girl next to all three of us?_

I looked down. "If only it were that simple."

"It is." She lifted my chin with her finger and her eyes held me transfixed. "It is. Hunger and thirst are intertwined, or love and bloodlust as Carlisle might put it. Eleazar thinks..."

"Yes." I cut her off impatiently. "I know."

"Then you know all you need to," she answered curtly. "You _are_ stronger than you realize." She turned and went back inside. _More's the pity._

I looked again to the stars, so clear and bright here, away from civilization. Could Tanya be right? Could I be as firm against the temptation of Bella's blood as I was against the advances of Tanya and her sisters? Orion and the Hare, they pivoted around a single, immovable point in the heavens. Compassion had been Carlisle's pole star for centuries, and he alone had held firm against temptation. Did I have that kind of love within me?

I drew a deep breath of the clean night air. There was only one way to find out.


End file.
